sci-fi novella

Larik’Ni had been many things in her life. She’d been a daughter, an orphan, an exile, and a bored flight controller. But now, after the arrest of Governor Jolek, she found herself as something she never expected to be; a leader.

Larik’Ni, a woman who had been banished from her homeworld for the crime of living when her family had died, was now the governor of planet Haven. The teal skinned Birran didn’t want the job, but she had been chosen unanimously by the other residents of the small planet. “But I am no politician,” she had protested. “I am not qualified.”

It was the fact that she wasn’t a politician that made her so popular. Governor Jolek was willing to sell out anyone to get ahead. They knew Larik’Ni would never do that. They also knew that she was one of the smartest people on Haven; the way in which she helped James Barret and Endira Vas escape was proof enough of that.

So now Larik’Ni was the leader of a community of misfits and exiles; of people who had no place on their homeworlds, so they made a place for themselves.

She was also a very busy woman. Since becoming governor, more and more people had been coming to Haven. “If only we were this busy when I was a flight controller,” she was often heard saying. Ships and new members of the community were arriving daily, and now Larik’Ni was off to meet with one of these new arrivals. The message had been vague, but that was nothing new. Many individuals came to Haven to get away from the law, since it was not part of any recognized group. In fact, the Tref system was in unclaimed space, making it the perfect place to start up any sort of criminal enterprise.

Larink’Ni sincerely hoped this wasn’t a person looking to bribe her. She had no desire to sell her soul for a handful of credits. “Your appointment is in your office, Governor,” Larik’Ni’s assistant said when she walked in the room.

When she entered her office, Larik’Ni was met by a woman her height completely enshrouded by a long grey cloak. Her face was obscured by a large hood.. “Thank you for seeing me, Governor.”

“Of course,” Larik’Ni said, taking her seat. She motioned for her guest to do the same, but she remained standing. “Please have a seat.”

The mystery woman didn’t even look to see where her chair was, she simply glided over to it and sat down. “My name is Lakett Zira, and I am in need of your assistance, Governor. As leader of Haven, you have contacts with other governments, do you not?”

“I do. But there are no embassies here. Haven does not have any formal diplomatic ties with any world or confederation. What government are you trying to contact?”

“Earth,” the woman said in a matter of fact voice. “Earth and Muldax Prime, actually. I must reach Earth as soon as possible. I have information that is vital to the restoration of the Muldaxian Commonwealth, and to Earth averting an all out war with the Verokk Imperium.”

“That may be a difficult proposition,” Larik’Ni sighed. “Even now the Imperium is keeping a close watch on us, despite the nearby Coalition patrols.”

“I can help with that.”

Larik’Ni quirked an eyebrow. “Really? How?”

The woman removed her hood, revealing a face like polished marble. “Because I am a Verokk.”

Endira Vas sat nervously in front of the communications panel in her sister-in-law’s home. She had just connected with the Muldaxian Embassy in Stockholm Sweden, and was waiting for the other side to answer. There was someone on duty at all times due to the different time zones on Earth, and on other planets in the Coalition.

The panel sprang to life and created an image of a male face with gold eyes and purple skin. “Thank you for calling the Muldaxian Embassy on Earth,” the man said in a polite tone. “How may I direct your call?”

“My name is Endira Vas,” she said. “I was hoping you had information on my family.” This was the third time Vas had called in as many days. The answer was always the same.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Endira,” the man said after consulting with his computer. “There’s no new information.”

Vas closed her eyes and sighed. “Thank you,” she said before closing the channel.

Vas tried her best to smile. “I just hope James is having better luck finding a new ship than I am tracking down my family.”

The Moon was the first world humankind ever visited. Back in the late Twentieth Century, using technology that would be considered beyond archaic, humans did the impossible by sending men to the lunar surface and returning them to their home planet.

Now, hundreds of years later, there were many thriving domed cities on the Moon. In one of those domes was Artemis Station; considered the best shipyard in the Sol System. It was here that James Barret, with the help of Charlene “Charlie” Ross, was trying to find a new ship to replace the destroyed Arrowhead.

Barret had been standing closely behind Charlie’s seat as she looked over the different ships she had access to. His hot breath on the back of her neck always drove her wild. Usually he did it on purpose, breathing on her neck, and her ears, doing his best to make Charlie’s pussy throb and grow wetter.

Today, though, he was too focused on a ship to notice. Charlie had no intention of letting him get her hot and bothered without doing something about it. She had Barret right where she wanted him; sitting on her desk with his pants and underwear bunched around his ankles and his cock in her hungry mouth.

Charlie happily sucked and licked Barret’s shaft, eliciting moans and groans of pleasure from her sometimes lover. Barret had long since take off his shirt, and Charlie had unzipped and partially removed her coveralls, revealing a plain white bra contrasting against her dark skin. “This isn’t finding a new ship,” Barret panted.

“Do you want me to stop?” Charlie playfully asked while she stroked his cock and fondled his balls.

“What do you think?” Barret smirked.

Charlie slowly stood and stripped off the rest of her clothing. “I think you want to bend me over my desk and fuck me silly.” To prove her point Charlie spread her legs and bent over her desk, ready for him to take her.

Barret smirked at her. “Are you sure that’s not what you want?”

“Who says the two have to be mutually exclusive?” she asked playfully as she reached between her legs and spread her wet lips open.

Barret didn’t take the bait. He slowly and calmly knelt behind her and gently brushed her clit with his tongue, making Charlie squirm and shudder. “You like that?”

“You know I do,” she said impatiently. “Don’t tease me.”

“But teasing is so much fun,” he replied after lightly blowing across her slit. “You know you’re enjoying this.” Barret again extended his tongue and traced the edges of her lips with it, stopping just as he came to her swollen clit.

“James,” Charlie mewed. “Please…”

“Please what?”

“Please just fuck me. I need it. Please just fuck me…”

Barret smiled. He always knew how to get her to ask for it. He stood and ran the tip of his cock up and down her slit a few times before slowly inserting himself into her. “Is that what you want?”

“Yes….”

“My cock?”

“Yes. Now fuck me. Stop teasing me and fuck my brains out!”

Barret started moving slowly, building up a rhythm. His slow pace gradually increased until he was slamming into her hard, making a loud slap with each thrust.

“Yeah, baby,” she moaned. “That’s it! Fuck me! Fuck me hard!”

Barret could tell she wanted it rough. That was something Charlie and Vas both had in common; they loved hard sex. Barret grabbed hold of Charlie’s dreadlocks and gently pulled, eliciting a feral groan. “You always loved that,” he growled.

“You know what else I love?” she asked playfully, before reaching behind her and running her finger up the crack of her ass, lingering for a moment around her puckered opening.

Charlie, always ready, nudged Barret off of her so she could circle around her desk and take a small tube out of one of the drawers. Squirting out a viscous clear liquid into her hand, she grabbed Barret’s cock and stroked it, slathering the fluid over his length. She then laid back on her desk and rubbed some more around her asshole. Before long she had a finger in her backdoor, waiting for Barret to come knocking. “What are you waiting for?”

That was all the invitation Barret needed. He approached her, and pressed the head of his cock against Charlie’s anus. “You ready?” he asked, before slowly easing himself into her. He moved slowly, letting her loosen up to allow him entry. “Fuck I forgot how tight your ass is,” he groaned.

“You should know,” she moaned. “You were the first one to go in that way.” Charlie concentrated on relaxing, and letting Barret bury himself all the way in her ass, “Slowly,” she said. “You’re almost there.”

As soon as Barret was in as far as he could go, he stopped so Charlie could get used to this invasion. “I wasn’t the last, was I?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“I take it you’re talking about that time aboard the Pisces?” she asked, remembering when they were both in the Earth Space Force’s system patrol.

“I never looked at the engine room the same way again,” Barret said, smiling at the memory.

“The night watch,” Charlie added, wiggling her ass, signaling Barret to fuck her. “You, me, and Dave Lennox. You were in my pussy, and he was in my ass. Right in front of the antimatter core. Ah! Yes……”

Barret was picking up steam, letting his slick cock slide in and out of Charlie’s backdoor and enjoying the feel of her tightness around him. “Our first threesome,” he panted. “And you wanted more.”

“What can I say? I’m efficient! I could easily have jerked a couple of guys off and sucked another.” Charlie started massaging her clit, adding to the sensation of Barret fucking her ass. “That’s it, baby! Don’t stop. Don’t stop.”

She closed her eyes and let her head rest on her desk. Barret could tell by the way she was breathing that she was about to cum. Truth be told, so was he. He didn’t go in anally that often, and the sensations were driving him over the edge. “I’m gonna be there soon,” he warned.

“So am I. Don’t stop. Fuck me. Make me cum and them shoot yours all over me! Fuck me! Fuck…. me…..” Charlie let out a barely audible squeal as she hit her plateau. Her body jerked so violently that Barret had to grab hold of her legs to keep from getting bucked off.

He sped up, thrusting faster to keep up with her writhing body and getting ready to unleash his own torrent. “I’m almost there….. almost there!” Barret quickly pulled out and stroked his still slick cock, sending jets of white cum all over Charlie’s belly. One stream made it between her breasts. “Fuck,” he panted.

Charlie looked down at the white streaks on her dark skin and smiled. “That’ll teach you to breath down my neck when we’re trying to work.”

Vas was listening intently to her mate’s tale about why the hunt for a new ship had turned up nothing. “Well, it sounds like it wasn’t a total waste of time,” she said with a giggle. “You’ll have to tell me about what happened on the Pisces at some point.”

Barret chuckled, then frowned. “Finding the Arrowhead was a lot easier than this has been.”

“You never told me how you got the Arrowhead,” Vas pointed out.

“She was all I could afford at the time,” Barret began. “She used to be called the Elite 2. She had been part of the Elite Shipping Company’s delivery fleet. She was sold off when they got newer ships.”

“Right place at the right time?” Vas asked.

“Right place at the right time.”

A knock at the door ended the conversation. Barret was greeted with the sight of four men in blue uniforms with the symbol of the Earth Space Force. One of the men, an African American man with captain’s stripes, smiled. “How are you, James?”

“It’s been a long time,” Bonner said, returning the hug. “Can we come in?”

Barret scowled at the man’s companion, an older man with admiral’s stripes on his uniform jacket. “Admiral Hall,” Barret said with a sneer.

“Jimmy?” Jackie Barret asked from the next room. “Don’t just stand there with the door open! Let them in.” Jackie smiled and hugged Bonner. “It’s been too long, Grant!” She shot the admiral and the two military police officers flanking him dirty looks. “Wipe your feet before you come in.”

“Charming,” Admiral Hall said. “If you all don’t mind, we have business to discuss.”

Barret shot the admiral a disbelieving look. “What kind of business?”

“We need you to run an errand for us, Lieutenant,” Hall said.

“I’m not a lieutenant anymore and you know it, Captain,” Barret said, using Hall’s old rank.

Bonner stepped in. “James, sir, please. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important. James, we need you to go to Haven and pick someone up for us. A Verokk dissident.”

Over the course of twenty minutes, Barret, Vas, Jackie and Corva listened to Bonner and Hall’s description of the mission. Barret kept scowling at the admiral. “Forget it!” he finally said.

“James,” Bonner said, “I know you have a history with the Verokk.”

“A history!? Vas and I have been shot at, had our brains scrambled, and been captured! And,” Barret went over to the fireplace and took a jar off the mantle that was filled with metallic dust. “Do you know what this is? This is all that’s left of my ship! This was all that Artemis Station could salvage after we were hit by an illegal disruptor! I have a price on my head and you want me to go pick up a Verokk dissident? In a region of space the Verokk is watching constantly? Not to mention the fact that a Verokk fleet has started camping on the outskirts of our own system waiting to pick me off! No. No fucking way!”

“I agree,” Vas said. “This is a death sentence.”

“Well,” Bonner said, “we had to try.”

“One moment, Captain,” Hall said. “The lieutenant here is acquainted with the current governor. A Birran named Larik’Ni.”

“So?” Barret said. “And for the last time, I’m not in the Space Force anymore, which means I’m not a lieutenant, and not subject to your authority!”

“You always were an insubordinate bastard, even when you were under my command.”

“And there’s nothing you can do about it,” Barret sneered.

“Yes I can.” The admiral took out a data pad and pulled up a file. “James Daniel Barret the third, under Article 4 subsection 15 of the Space Force directives, I hereby reactivate your rank, and order you to undertake the retrieval mission.”

Bonner was aghast. “What?”

“You can’t do that!” Barret protested.

“I can and did.” Hall turned to the MP’s. “Take Lieutenant Barret into custody for refusal to obey orders.” Vas attempted to intervene. “I warn you, ladies, that if you try it, you will also be arrested.”

“Of course it isn’t.” The admiral’s sneer grew wider. “And don’t forget to take Miss Endira into custody, as well.”

“What?!” Barret demanded.

“She’s an alien expatriate,” Hall said calmly.

“So is my wife,” Jackie spat. “What’s your point.”

“My point, Ms. Barret, is that we need to take Miss Endira into protective custody until we can get her paperwork sorted out.”

Vas quickly stormed into the next room and returned with a data pad. “You mean this paperwork?” she said, pulling up the correct files and showing it to the admiral. “A marriage license signed by Admiral Janice Hu saying James and I are husband and wife! Or this one.” Vas pulled up another file. “This is notarized proof of my dual citizenship between Earth and Muldax Prime. But this is my favorite.” She pulled up yet another file. “My approved request for political asylum here on Earth!” Vas shoved the data pad into Hall’s chest. “Go ahead and take it. I have several copies.”

Barret chuckled as Hall took the pad. “Don’t fuck with Vas,” he warned. “She’ll chew you up and spit you out.”

“Get him out of here!” Hall yelled to the MP’s before storming out of the house.

Bonner approached Vas. “I promise you I didn’t know about this. But I’ll fix it. I’ll make this right and bring him back home.”

Endira Vas wasn’t one to let others fight her battles for her. As soon as the Space Force representatives had left, she marched into the den and and placed at call to Space Force Headquarters. A female admiral named Annette Myers answered. “What can I do for you today, Ms. Endira?”

“My bond mate, err, husband, James Barret, was just picked up by two of your military police under the command of Admiral Hall,” Vas said angrily yet calmly. She proceeded to tell Admiral Myers the entire story.

Admiral Myers took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Thank you, Ms. Endira. I’ll look into this and get back to you.”

As soon as she closed the channel, a voice came through her desk intercom. “Excuse me, Admiral, but there’s a Captain Bonner here to see you.”

The admiral rubbed her temples. “Send him in.”

When Grant Bonner entered the admiral’s office, he saluted. “Excuse the interruption, ma’am, but there’s something I think you should know about Admiral Hall.”

James Barret sat in what he could only describe as the brig. “And people wonder why I left the service,” he said to himself before he was startled by a knock at the door.

“Barret! You’ve got a visitor.”

Barret was greeted by the sight of Admiral Annette Myers when the door opened. “I’d say good afternoon, but I doubt you’ve had one.”

“What can I do for you, Admiral?” Barret grumbled before sitting down on the thin mattress of his bunk.

Admiral Myers took a small device out of her pocket and pressed a button. “We’re off the monitors so we can talk freely. I heard about your situation from Captain Bonner and from your wife. I can get you out of here, Mr. Barret, but I’m afraid I have to ask for your help. Something big is going on here, and I need your help to get to the bottom of it.”

“Absolutely not!” Vas practically shrieked when she heard Annette’s proposal. “Like I told that asshole Hall, it’s a death sentence!”

“Not necessarily,” Annette countered. “We’re taking all possible precautions to make sure your husband comes back in one piece.”

“You don’t know what it’s like,” Vas protested. “We’ve been attacked too many times by the Verokk, and now you want to send him out there to be slaughtered.”

“Not if I can help it, Vas,” Grant Bonner, who was there with the admiral said. “Trust me on this. James is the best pilot to come out of the Space Force in the last thirty years. If anyone can pull it off, he can. And with the extra tools we’re giving him, he’ll do just fine.”

“Besides, we need to see what exactly this so called dissident knows,” Annette added. “And if she is pulling a fast one on us, then at least we’ll have a Verokk prisoner. And then there’s the matter of Admiral Hall. He’s bypassed and violated a lot of regulations setting this up, and I want to know why. There’s more going on here than just a questionable mission.”

“I still can’t believe Jimmy agreed to this,” Jackie huffed. “My brother is many things, but he’s not usually this stupid!”

Annette nodded. “It’s a real gamble, I know. But like I said, we’re giving him the tools he needs to get through this alive and in one piece. And he’s more than happy to help us get dirt on Admiral Hall.”

“Jimmy never liked him,” Jackie agreed. “He said Hall made his life miserable.”

“No, James said Hall was a arrogant prick,” Jackie’s wife Corva added.

“Admiral Hall was really jealous,” Bonner said. “James broke all of the admiral’s records and flight test scores. Hall didn’t like that and took his displeasure out on who he saw as an upstart.”

“There’s another reason Mr. Barret is helping,” Annette said. “We’re going to find you a new ship.”

Vas had listened to everything Bonner and Annette had told her about the mission, but it didn’t make her feel any better. Even the promise of being able to spend a night with Barret before he left for Haven didn’t help. Vas sat silently on her bed, trying to figure a way to accompany her mate on what could be the last mission he ever took.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything she could think of that would get her on whatever ship Barret was on. Until, that is, she saw the camera on the dresser. Even though holograms were commonplace, regular old photography was still practiced on Earth, and the Barrets had several pictures of fallen family members in the house.

“I may not be able to go with him myself, but I can be with him by proxy,” she said to herself. “In fact we all can!” Vas quickly grabbed the camera and ran downstairs. “Jackie! Corva! I have an idea!”

The next day, Endira Vas was led into a room with a bed and a small adjoining bathroom. In that room was a sight Vas hadn’t seen in several days; her bond mate James Barret. She was in his arms before the guard closed the cell’s door. “I’ve missed you,” she said in her native language, just so the guards watching over the security camera couldn’t eavesdrop.

“Same here,” Barret responded in kind. “This is going to be the last time I see you for over a month.”

Vas reluctantly pulled away and sat on the bed next to where she set her overnight bag when she came in. “So we just have tonight.” She looked up at the camera pointing right at them. “Shall we give them a show?”

Barret shook his head. “No. I really don’t want those assholes watching. I’m tired of being their own personal entertainment.”

“Jeeze, what’s with that guy?” one of the men monitoring Barret asked. “He has a hot Muldaxian piece of ass sitting there, and he’s not touching her!”

“I know!” his companion added. “I’ve got the system set to record this, too!”

“No you don’t,” Bonner said as he entered the room. “By order of Admiral Myers, James Barret gets privacy for the night.”

“Bullshit!” one of the men exclaimed.

“You can take it up with the admiral all you want. But for now, that surveillance system is being shut off.”

As soon as the light on the security camera went out, Barret got that look on his face that always made Vas weak in the knees. “Okay, now we can have all the fun we want.”

Vas launched herself at Barret, practically shoving her tongue in his mouth and pushing him down on the bed. Barret’s hands ran down her back and onto her ass, firmly grabbing the firm mounds, making her moan into his mouth. “You have no idea how soaked I am right now,” she said breathlessly.

“I’m sure I can imagine.” Barret unbuttoned her pants and slid his hand in. He smiled when he discovered she wasn’t wearing any panties.

“I’m not wearing a bra either,” Vas said with a sly grin when she saw the look on her mate’s face. Her eyes closed and a soft moan escaped her lips when Barret’s fingers found her clit. Her own hands had not been idle. She already had Barret’s cock out and was slowly stroking its length.

She brought her lips to Barret’s, kissing him gently at first until his lips parted, allowing her tongue to enter. Vas kissed him harder, showing him all the love and passion she had, and what he’d be missing during his absence.

Vas reluctantly broke the kiss, pulled her shirt off, and moved Barret over to the bed. She kneeled in front of him, pulled his pants down, and had him sit. “Now, let’s see what I can do with this.” Vas slowly licked her way up his shaft, and lingered when she came to the head.

Pre cum was already starting to run down his length. “Is all this for me?” Vas coyly asked before scooping the clear liquid off. She put her finger in her mouth and sucked it like she would a cock. “Almost as good as your cum.”

Barret looked at Vas with half open eyes. “You’ve been watching Birran porn again haven’t you?”

“Birran male on human female,” she admitted. “Are you complaining?”

“Not at all,” Barret said as he stood up to fully disrobe. “But I think you need some attention now.”

Vas happily stripped her pants off and got on the bed. “I have a request,” she said with a smile. “I want you to fuck my ass like you did Charlie’s. I brought plenty of lube.”

Barret rummaged through Vas’s bag until he found the item in question. He also found a few vibrators. “Covering your bases, Vas?”

“Well,” she said slyly, “I don’t want my cunt to get lonely while your cock’s in my ass, now do I?”

Barret had Vas lay on her back, took a phallic shaped vibe and, and turned it on. He rubbed it up and down her slit and let it linger at her swollen clit. Vas moaned her approval. He then slipped into her wet pussy and slowly fucked her with it while he ran his tongue over her clit.

“That’s nice,” Vas purred. “Keep doing that.” Vas writhed in pleasure as Barret’s tongue glided over her clit and the vibrator slowly moved in and out of her wet pussy. Before long, her skin had changed to lavender and her body convulsed in orgasmic bliss. She moaned and gasped as the pleasure surged through her.

Barret turned off the vibe and quickly discarded it. Vas was about to complain when she felt his cock enter her. “I love it when you cum,” Barret growled.

“Keep fucking me and I’ll do it again.”

Barret lay over Vas and slowly moved his hips. He brought his lips to hers and kissed her deeply while he slowly made love to her.

“This is different for you,” Vas observed.

“I want this to last,” Barret panted as he began to pick up the pace. “This is our last night together for over a month. I don’t want a quick fuck.”

Vas smiled and nudged Barret to roll on his back. She straddled his hips, grabbed his cock, and slowly slipped it back into her. “Don’t worry. You won’t forget this.” Vas reached behind her and fondled her mate’s balls while she rode him. Barret, meanwhile, pinched Vas’s erect green nipples.

“You’ve got fantastic tits,” he groaned.

“Thank you.” She leaned down and gave Barret a quick kiss. “Now I do believe I asked you to fuck my ass, didn’t I?” With a coy grin, she dismounted Barret, grabbed a tube of lubrication from her bag, and covered her fingers with the slippery stuff.

She gently pressed her finger against her backdoor, trying to relax enough to allow her digits access. With her free hand she grabbed Barret’s cock and started to stroke it while she finger fucked her ass. “I want this,” she moaned. “I want this so bad.”

“Then get up on your hands and knees,” Barret said.

Vas was more than happy to comply. She spread her cheeks when she was in position, showing Barret that her asshole was ready. But Barret wasn’t yet. Instead of his cock, he used his fingers to loosen her up even more. “Give me your cock,” Vas begged. “Please. I want to feel you fill me up.”

“How can I refuse a request like that?” Barret grabbed the lube and gave his dick a coating of the clear fluid. He slowly eased the bulging head into Vas’s anus, making her grunt at the intrusion.

“Slower,” Vas said. “Nice and slow.” Vas reached between her legs and rubbed her clit, trying to help her relax. She’d had anal sex before, but not with Barret. “I’ve never had a cock this big back there before,” she explained. “So go slow.”

Vas closed her silver eyes and tried to relax. She felt her sphincter loosen around Barret’s cock, so she pushed back against him. “Fuck me,” she whispered.

Barret went slow, knowing that he would cum sooner than he wanted because of how tight Vas’s ass was. While Barret fucked her, vas reached for the discarded vibe and turned it back on. She slipped into her still wet pussy. “Fuck yes,” she groaned.

Barret let out his own grunt when he felt the added pressure from the vibe. “I’m gonna cum soon,” he warned.

Barret picked up the pace, driving Vas over the edge. He felt her tighten around him, which was all he could take. With an animalistic roar he let loose, sending surges of hot cum deep into his mate’s ass. He kept thrusting after the last shot, riding out Vas’s orgasm.

Vas slowly removed the vibe from her pussy. “I think I want to try a DP with a real cock next,” she panted.

Barret withdrew his softening cock from her. “I think that can be arranged.”

The next day James Barret, Grant Bonner, and Admiral Hill were walking into the docking bay of the orbital Space Force shipyard. Specifically, they were approaching a ship shaped like a capitol latter T. “This is the Fool’s Errand,” Hall said.

Barret snorted. “Fitting, considering what you’re making me do.”

“We use this ship to infiltrate smuggling rings,” Bonner added. “It’s got the latest model faster than light drive, and it has the maneuvering thrusters and sub light engines of a Maximus class cruiser. This baby is fast!”

“You won’t be going at full FTL to Tref,” Hill said with a gleam in his eye. “Like we told you before, we don’t want the Verokk getting suspicious.”

“So that means it’ll take me two weeks to get there,” Barret groaned.

“Don’t worry,” Hill said with a sneer. “You’ll have Bug to keep you company.”

“Who’s Bug?”

A large grin spread across the admiral’s lips. “The ship’s artificial intelligence. I know how much you love AI’s.”

Bonner tried to diffuse the situation. “We’re giving you false credentials, James. You’ll be using the alias of a smuggler named Gideon Price.” He slipped an ID and a data chip into Barret’s shirt pocket. “Everything you need is already onboard.”

“Remember what I said,” Barret told his old friend.

“I’ll keep an eye on them. I promise.”

“Be careful,” Barret warned, “Vas can be really stubborn.”

“Time is money, Barret,” Hall snapped. “You’re behind schedule.”

Barret got in the admiral’s face. “This better not be a setup.”

“Are you making threats now, Lieutenant?”

“I don’t make threats, Hall.” With that, Barret slung his duffle bag over his shoulder and strode to the Fool’s Errand.

“I hope you know what you’re doing, sir,” Bonner said.

“I know exactly what I’m doing, Captain,” Hill replied. “I’m making sure that we’re ready next time the Verokk mess with us.”

“Welcome back, Captain Price,” a synthesized female voice said from a speaker grill over the pilot’s station.

“Great,” Barret grumbled under his breath.

“Course and speed for Haven is plotted and laid in. Awaiting order for final takeoff preparations.”

“I can do it myself, Bug,” Barret snapped.

“I’m sorry, Captain, but I have standing orders from Admiral Hall implicitly stating that I am to control all facets of the journey.”

“Fine,” Barret sighed as he took his seat. “Whatever. Let’s just get going so we can get this over with.”

“Affirmative.”

With that, the Fool’s Errand came to life. It’s anti-grav thrusters kicked in, lifting it from its docking cradle and carrying it towards the opening bay doors. James Barret looked at the image in the rearview monitor, showing the orbital station, and the Earth itself, shrinking into the blackness of space.

Barret reached into his duffle bag and took out the gift Vas had given him last night; a photograph of her, Jackie and Corva. The smiling faces of Barret’s family brought a sad smile to his face. This was going to be a long trip.

“I’m glad you decided to meet with me, ladies,” Bonner said to Vas, Jackie and Corva as they were seated at Bonner’s favorite restaurant. Over the last ten days, Vas had ignored every call Bonner had made.

Vas was in no mood for small talk. “Don’t thank me. Thank Jackie. She’s the one who convinced me to show up.”

Bonner rubbed his forehead. “How many times do I have to say that I had no idea what Hall was planning?”

“I’m over that,” Vas said in an icy tone. “What pisses me off is that you were part of shipping James off on the exact same suicide mission under a different admiral!”

“We’re trying to help you,” Bonner protested.

“No new ship is worth James’s life!”

“Vas,” Jackie said in a soothing voice. “It’s okay. Let’s just hear him out.”

“James is in less danger because of the safety protocols we snuck aboard Fool’s Errand,” Bonner calmly said. “I had my people go over that ship with a fine toothed comb. There was some funny stuff going on. Transponders that shouldn’t have been there, and shadow programming in the AI. Hall’s up to something, and whatever it is, it isn’t good.” He saw the skeptical look on Vas’s face. “James was my best friend when we were in basic training. I love that man like a brother, and not just because he saved my life.”

The surprised look on Vas’s face told Bonner that he had her undivided attention. “I’ll bet he never told you that did he? I’m not surprised. Has he ever showed you his Medal Of Courage?”

“He never showed it to me,” Vas admitted. “I happened to see it hidden in a drawer after we got settled in with his sister.”

Bonner smiled as their drinks and appetizers were delivered. “The System Patrol Fleet spends most of its time going after smugglers and drug traffickers. Right out of basic, I was assigned to the Sagittarius, and James was on board the Taurus, serving under Admiral Hall.

“We were pinned down by three heavily armed attack ships out in the Kuiper Belt. James came in flying like a madman! No one had ever seen anyone pilot a ship like that before. He was waving the Taurus around those drug ships like no one’s business, letting the gunners take out their engines and weapons arrays. At the end of it all, we got the whole syndicate, we had only minor injuries on the Sagittarius, and James was a goddamned hero!”

Vas just smiled and took a sip of her drink. “So he saved not just you, but everyone on your ship.”

“That he did,” Bonner replied. “And he’s so damn modest that he doesn’t even tell his wife about it.” Bonner reached out and took Vas’s hand. “Look, Vas, we are doing everything in out power to make sure James comes back in one piece, but we have to know what Hall is up to. It’s dangerous, but that can’t be avoided.” He released Vas’s hand and took out a small data pad. “Now, I want you to take a look at this.”

Vas’s eyes grew wide as she looked at the image on the screen. “By the goddesses…….”

“I thought you’d like that.”

Barret had been an over glorified passenger for the whole trip since Bug, the ship’s artificial intelligence, was running everything. The voyage from Earth to Haven took just over two and a half weeks; longer than it was supposed to.

The Fool’s Errand may have had a state of the art propulsion system, but the drive core built up a lot of heat that the environmental systems weren’t able to deal with. Every twelve hours the Fool’s Errand had to drop out of FTL to dump that excess heat, otherwise Barret would have been cooked alive.

Luck, it seemed, was finally with him, though. Unlike his last visit to Haven, this time he arrived while the planet was out of the path of the parent pulsar’s radiation streams. He could dock immediately.

Barret looked much different than he did when he left Earth. He had let his beard grow and, at Bonner’s suggestion, had died his hair and beard black. Combined with the contact lenses that make his ice blue eyes brown, as well as masked his retinal signature, his face looked much different. Enough, he hoped, to fool anyone who didn’t really know him.

As he came down the ramp from the docking cradle, he saw a welcome sight waiting for him. There was Larik’Ni wearing a distinguished looking suit. Her bearing made her look like the leader she truly was. And he could tell that, despite his disguise, she recognized him.

“Captain Price,” LarikNi said, trying not to let the surprise into her voice. “Welcome to Haven.”

“Thank you Governor,” he said, lowering his voice a bit to add to the deception. “I’m here on behalf of the Combined Terran Alliance to deliver a special guest to Earth.”

“She is waiting in my office, Captain,” Larik’Ni said graciously. “Come, and I will introduce you.”

As soon as they were alone in the elevator, Larik’Ni gave Barret a crushing hug. “What are you dong here? Do you not know that the Verokk are after your head?”

“All too aware of that,” he said, enjoying the feel of the Birran woman in his arms. “I wasn’t given much choice in the matter.” Barret pulled back and looked the governor in the eyes. “Can this woman be trusted? The last thing I want is to have my brain turned inside out halfway back to Earth.”

“You need not worry. Zira is quite trustworthy.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Gideon Price, may I present Lakett Zira.”

The hooded woman stood and turned around. When her hood was lowered, Barret saw the nearly perfect features, as well as pale eyes that gave him a blank stare. When she extended her hand, he saw the shimmering material on her sleeve. Barret immediately knew that she had that same material covering her whole body.

“A sensor netting?” he asked.

“That is correct, Captain,” Zira said. “I am quite blind. This netting allows me to get around without walking into things.” Zira lowered her hand when she realized that Barret had no interest in pleasantries. “I can understand you’re unwillingness to trust me, Captain, but you have nothing to worry about from me.”

Barret quietly sat in the chair directly across from Zira. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t believe that.”

“Do you wish me to stay…Gideon?” Larik’Ni asked.

“Yes,” he said. He needed to be sure she wasn’t being mind controlled. He was still expecting to feel the pain of that mental invasion.

“Then let me put you at ease, Captain,” Zira said. “I have no wish to further the agenda of the Imperium’s leadership.”

“Why?”

“Because they will lead us to extinction.” Zira took a deep breath. “Tell me, how much do you know of my people?”

“Next to nothing.”

“Which is by design.” Zira stood and began to pace; trying to work off her nervous energy. “We have become very secretive. We Verokk are a very divided people. I am what is called Low Born. You see, I was conceived the old fashioned way. My parents, who were not selected to breed due to their genetics, fell in love, made love and conceived me. That is why I’m blind. It wasn’t screened for and repaired while I was in the birthing chamber.”

“Wait, your whole species is genetically engineered?”

“Yes,” Zira answered nervously. “The leadership are what is called High Born. They are designed from the DNA up. They are striving for genetic perfection, and do whatever they can to give other High Born any advantage over other races. The latest addition to the genome was telepathic manipulation. That is something I do not have.”

Barret still wasn’t sure if he believed her. “So they’re genetically engineered. Big deal. Jolek said they were all sterile.”

Zira slowly returned to her seat. “The High Born are. They’ve engineered themselves to the point that their DNA can’t recombine properly for reproduction.”

“Which is why they have targeted the Muldaxians,” Larik’Ni added. Zira had already told her this story.

“Okay, I’m confused.”

“Then let me ask you another question. How much do you know of the Muldaxians?”